Collapsible box or crate.



- No. 728,617. fATENTED MAY 19, 190.3.

c. RICHTER.

COLLAPSIBLE BOX 0R CRATE. APPLICATION I'ILBD AUG. 25, 1902.

Fay-1 /6 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

aw c' PATENTED MAY 19, 1903.

0. RICHTER.

COLLAPS'IBLE BOX OR- CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25, 1902. Q

a sums-sum 2. l4

l zy-5' H0 MODEL.

No. 728,617. PATENTED MAY 19, 1903;

0. RICHTER. GOLLAPSIBLE BOX 0R CRATE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED AUG. 25, 1902.

I0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3'.

15 J2 o i m UNITED STATES Patented May 19, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE RICHTER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK ,v ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL BISCUITCOMPANY,OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, AND CHICAGO, ILLI- NOIS, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COLLAPSIBLE BOX OR CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,617, dated May 19,1903.

, Application filed August 25, 1902. Serial No. 120,932. (No model.)

To all whom it rncty concern: 7

Be it known that I, CLARENCE RICHTER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Syra-' cuse, in the county ofOnondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Collapsible Boxes or Crates, of which the'following is aspecification.

My invention relates to collapsible or [O knockdown boxes or cratesintended for the shipment or storage of goods of various kinds and ofthat class wherein the boxes or crates after having been emptied oftheir contents are adapted to be returned to the shipper in I 5 acompact form for reuse. The object of my invention is to provide animproved box or crate of this character characterized by increasedsimplicity and economy of construction, facility of manipulation, andstrength and reliability in use as compared with boxes and crates ofthis type hitherto known.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1-is a top .plan view of myimproved box or crate as the same appears when packed and ready forshipment. Fig. 2 is 'an end elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a detail topplan view of the floor or bottom member of the box. Fig.5 is a simio larview showing the end and side walls of the box erected upon the bottomor floor.- Fig. 6 is a plan View of the top or cover ofthe box, showingthe same inverted and loaded with the knocked down side and end wallspre- 3 5 paratory to return shipment of the box. Fig. 7 is an edgeelevation of the box as it appears when collapsed and assembled forreturn shipment; and Figs. 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views in planesat right angles through the collapsed box as shown in Fig. 7,illustrating the preferred relative disposition of the side and endWalls between the top and bottom members of the box.

Referring to the drawings,10 designates the bottom or floor member ofthe box, and 11' the top member or cover. The box, as shown in theaccompanying drawings, is square in outline; but it will be readilyunderstood that Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof.-

the same may and in many cases will be of a rectangular formation otherthan square, and for convenience in distinguishing the parts I designatethe vertical members 12 as the side walls of the box and the othervertical members 13 as the end walls. To the end margins of the bottom10 are applied a pair of narrow vertical strips 14, and to the sidemargins of the same are applied a similar pair of narrow strips 15, thusconstituting entirely around the edges of the bottom 10 a short verticalflange. To the top or cover 11 are similarly applied end marginal strips16 and side marginal strips 17, thus constituting a short dependingmarginal flange on the cover, the flanges of the bottom and top beingpreferably of the same or substantially the same height and having acombined height somewhat in excess of the combined thickness of the endand side walls of the box when directly overlaid, as shown in Figs. 6,8, and 9. One parallelpair of walls, herein shown as the end walls 13,are made of a length to fit the end margins of the bottom I between andabutting endwise the side strips 15 and longitudinally contacting theend 7 strips14, as plainly shown in Fig. 5, while the remainingpair,constituting the side walls 12, are made of such a length as tosnugly fit between and abut endwise the extremities of the end walls 13,said side walls when thus positioned lying in snug longitudinal contactalong their lower margins with the side flanges 15 of the bottom.

In order to retain the vertical side and end walls of the box in theoperative relation to each other already described, I preferably applytransversely to the inner faces of the end walls 13, near theirextremities, vertical strips 18,(see Figs. 5,6,and 8,) which areso'positioned as to engage the inner faces of the side walls 12 at theextremities of the latter and confine the side walls at their endsbetween the strips '18 and the marginal side flanges 15 and 17 of thebottom and top members of the box, respectively. It will thus be seenthat the parts 18 perform the double function of guide and retainingstrips for the side walls of the box and of transverse cleats for theend walls, which latter thus strengthened are enabled to be madeconsiderably thinner than the side walls.

My invention constructed as thus far described is complete and operativefor its intended purpose; but in order to brace the vertical walls ofthe box,'as well as to provide a simple and expeditious means forsecuring the elements of the box rigidly in assembled position andpreventing the removal of the cover, I preferably apply to the bottommember of the box, at the opposite sides thereof, a pair of foldablepivoted braces in the form of wire bails 19, the ends of which aresecured by staples 20 or any other convenient means, which permits thebails to swing between a position upon and parallel with the plane ofthe bottom to an upright position at right angles thereto and contactingthe inner faces of its flanges, and in order that these bails whenraised may lie outside of the side walls 12 I provide grooves 21 in theinner faces of the flanges 15, so located that the side members of thebails will lie therein just flush with the outer surfaces of the sidewalls 12, as best shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4:.

In assembling the box the bottom member is laid upon the floor or anyother suitable horizontal support and the end walls 13 are set uptherein, after which the bails 19 are raised to upstanding position andthe side walls 12 inserted with their ends abutting the inner faces ofthe extremities of the end walls and confined between the cleats 18 ontheir inner sides and the flanges 15 and bails 19 on their outer sides.This interbraced arrangement of the vertical walls insures acomparatively rigid and stable construction of opentopped box or crate,and the goods may be readily packed therein without disturbing ordisplacing the parts of the box as thus as sembled. The box having beenfilled, the top or cover is then applied, the depending flanges 16 and17 of the latter fitting snugly all around the vertical walls, thussecurely locking said walls together at their upper margins,while thesame function is performed for their lower margins by the upstandingflanges 15 16 of the bottom. Obviously then if the elements of the boxbe Well fitted and suitable means he provided for uniting the top andbottom members of the box against separation the box thus built up willpossess substantially the strength and rigidity of a box wherein theseveral elements are positively united, as by nails or screws. suitableor convenient fastening devices may be employed for this purpose withinthe purview of my invention; but in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 I have illustratedmy preferred locking means, which consists simply'of a cord or rope 22,connected at opposite sides of the box to the bails 19 and passing overthe cover. Such a cord may be conveniently applied with but a singleknot therein by laying it over the top of the box, carrying the two endsdown over the bails, then bringing them up again and over the top andtying the meeting ends together in a knot 23'. When such a fasteningdevice is employed, the mere untying of the knot or severance of thecord leaves the cover free to be removed and the box to be unpacked.This latter having been done, the cover is laid upon the floor or otherhorizontal support, the end walls are withdrawn and laid flat in thecover side by side, as shown in Fig. 6, the side walls are thensimilarly disposed in the cover, preferably transversely overlying theend walls, the bails are turned down within the bottom, and finally thelatter is inverted and placed over the inverted coverand its contents inthe manner plainly shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, after which the cord ispassed around said parts and securely tied, and the collapsed box isready to be-returned to the manufacturer or shipper of the goods,occupying for such purpose but a small fraction of the space 00- cupiedwhen sent out loaded.

Myimproved box or crate has been designed more especially for use in thepacking and shipment of bakery productssuch as biscuit, crackers, cakes,and the like-but it is obvious that it is equally well adapted for the 5shipment of any other varieties of goods of comparatively lightweight.It is also obvious that the form and dimensions of the box are not ofthe essence of the invention.

I claim 1. A collapsible box or crate comprising top and bottom membersprovided with depending and upstanding marginal flanges, respectively,knockdown vertical walls adapted, when the box is set up, to be inclosedand 1:05 confined along their upper and lower margins by the flanges ofthe top and bottom members, respectively, a pair of braces pivoted inopposite sides, respectively, of one of said top and bottom members andfoldable beno tween horizontal positions in which they lie flat againstthe inner surface of said member and vertical positions in which theycontact the inner walls of its flanges, and adapted in the latterposition to also externally contact I: 5 and brace the adjacent verticalwalls of the box, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described collapsible box or crate comprising the bottomand cover provided with upstanding and depending mar- :20 ginal flanges,respectively, knockdown side and end walls adapted, when the box is setup, to be inclosed and confined along their lower and upper margins bythe flanges of the bottom and cover, respectively, a pair of 12 5foldable braces in the form of hinged bails pivoted in opposite sides ofthe bottom substantially in the planesand at the bases of the innerfaces of the respective adjacent flanges of the bottom and foldablebetween 13c horizontal and vertical positions contacting my invention Ihave signed my name to this the inner surfaces of said bottom and itsupspecification in the presence of two subscribto standing flanges,respectively, and adapted ing Witnesses. in the latter position to alsoexternally contact and brace the adjacent side walls, and a CLARENCERICHTER flexible connection uniting said bails over the Witnesses:cover, substantially as described. CHARLES W. YOUNG,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as W. S. CLARK.

